A writer for the Detroit Free Press described Nature’s Kennel as “the excitement of Alaska, without the airfare.” A bit of a stretch to be sure. Trust me: I’ve been to Alaska.
Nonetheless, Nature’s Kennel, Michigan’s largest kennel, is one of the best places in the Midwest to experience what many of us Lower 48ers associate most with Alaska – dog sledding. Even though McMillan, MI, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is now home to Nature’s Kennel, it started down state in Ludington.
That Lake Michigan community is where Ed Stielstra launched the business after graduating from Michigan State University. After Ed married his wife Tasha in 1998, the couple moved their kennel to Duluth, MN.
But the charms of the Gopher State and “real careers” couldn’t match the pull of the Stielstra’s home state, and they moved back to Michigan in 2002.
“We really came back for snow,” says Tasha. “Duluth was cold to be sure, but it did not have consistent snow.” So good, consistent snow was one requirement of the Stielstras. Others were wide open spaces and favorable zoning. “Kennels area being zoned out of existence in many places,” explains Tasha.
The area around McMillan had everything Ed and Tasha wanted. There was good snow. The zoning was favorable. There was available acreage. (Nature’s Kennel sits on about fifty.) And close by were miles and miles of public trails.
Nature’s Kennel houses about 100 Alaskan huskies. “Alaskan huskies, Siberian huskies and malamutes are the breeds most often used for dog sledding,” says Tasha. “Ours are all Alaskan huskies.” I asked about dog food. “It costs thousands,” she said with a laugh. “It is our biggest expense.”
Today, the kennel’s activities fall into three broad categories—educational programs, dog sledding adventures for visitors and racing. A former elementary school teacher, educational outreach comes naturally for Tasha.
Pulling Together, her educational program, focuses on the important lessons of teamwork and respect from the viewpoint of sled dogs. The program is designed to compliment any core value curriculum.
During either full- or half-day programs with plenty of hands-on interaction, Tasha helps kids learn about being safe, kind and responsible. They’ll come away with an appreciation of why working together and respecting others is a recipe for a successful team.
Each year Tasha presents Pulling Together to approximately 10,000 students and teachers. Due to the kennel’s racing schedule, most of the educational programs take place in the fall and spring. So if you want Pulling Together to make an appearance in a school near you, plan ahead.
Although the Pulling Together program exposes thousands to dog sledding each year, the biggest draws of Nature’s Kennel are their dog sled adventures for mushers and would-be mushers. You can choose from several options.
The Mini-Drives are either half- or full-day trips, and you get a chance to drive your own dog sled on the kennel’s 10-mile or 20-mile loop. No experience is necessary, but drivers must be at least eight years old.
If the Minis are too tame for you, you can choose from either a Beginner Dog Sledding one night/two day adventure or an Extreme Dog Sledding two night/three day camping trip.
The beginner option lets you learn the basics of mushing and offers a taste of winter camping in a heated tent (with bunks). You travel about 20 miles by dog sled, camp for the night and then make the return trip the next day.
The Extreme Dog Sledding Option requires prior mushing experience. You’ll be driving your own sled and spending nights out on the trail. The trip is limited to two participants and is offered weekdays only due to the heavy snowmobile traffic on the weekends.
There’s one more way Nature’s Kennel makes it possible for visitors to get a taste of dog sledding because even Tasha admits that a trip to the middle of the U.P. may be more than a lot of families can manage. This last option gives you a chance to make connections with the Stielstas and their huskies at Boyne Highlands resort.
This year is the third year Nature’s Kennel has been making a dog sledding experience available to resort guests. It’s a chance to take an hour or half-hour ride, learn about the dogs, dog sledding and racing. Rides usually accommodate two adults or one adult and two small children.
The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail, was once a supply route traveled by dog sled teams to bring mail and provisions from coastal towns to interior mining camps.
In 1925 a section of the Iditarod Trail also became a lifeline, supplying serum to ward off diphtheria to Nome, struggling with an epidemic. Today’s Iditarod race route stretches from Anchorage in south central Alaska to Nome on the coast of the Bering Sea—a brutal 1,150 miles covered by racers in 10 to 17 days.
Ed Stielstra, founder of Nature’s Kennel, is a five-time Iditarod competitor, and he has completed the race each time he has entered. Anyone who knows anything about the Iditarod knows that just finishing is an accomplishment in itself.
His best finish was in 2008 when he came in 29th in 10 days, 17 hours and 28 minutes. Ed also competes in other races, and he won the UP200 in 2008 and set a new course record to boot.
Tasha also races. She completed the La Grande Odyssee in France and won Marquette’s UP200. I asked her if she would ever consider the Iditarod. She answered without a second of hesitation. “No, I’m too smart for that.”
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